As We Know It
by DiscoSludge
Summary: Life goes on for Chell and Wheatley. Wheatley realizes that he could never go back to a life without Chell. Chell realizes that her story isn't over yet. Human!Wheatley/Chell eventually . Just tying up some loose ends from the end of Portal 2. Spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

Testing could be two very different things. They could be complicated. They could be simple. That was about the only about Aperture Laboratories that had remained concrete over the years. GlaDOs would waver between dead, alive, angry, sinister, and-of all things-a potato. Some subjects woke up when the time came and some just faded in the hidden files of Aperture.

In all Aperture was a very dynamic place. Chell was not. Through everything she remained the same. That was something about her that Wheatley admired. He had never really come across a test subject like her before. She was strange and interesting but in the end she never changed. It helped him to think of things like 'What would Chell do right now?', when he was off by himself.

He had been quite rude to her actually. Wheatley had never felt bad about anything in his life prior to all of this. His life had been so easy. All he would do was roam the rails, checking up on other test subjects every once in a while and occasionally watching old tapes of them doing tests. It entertained him, kept his life simple.

Then there was a huge spiral of events. Horrible, strange events that he preffered not to talk about. He saw the things GlaDOs had done to them. The things she had said. Thoughts sprouted in his head. What if he tried these horrible things with him? The prospect terrified him so he quickly hatched an escape plan. He had to find a test subject. One that could get him out of here. One that could save him.

Wheatley had gone through five before her. Each of them was brash and got themselves hurt quite easily. He tried telling them to be a bit more careful as he, himself, was quite cautious. They never listened. He told himself that it was technically their faults for not listening to him though deep inside he knew it was his fault for actually waking them up. Wheatley felt no guilt for this.

Then he found her. When he first checked her she was sound asleep in statsis. He remembered the peaceful tranquility on her face and the slight smile tugging at her lips. When he woke her up he still felt no guilt. She wasn't like most subjects when he first woke her up. Chell wasn't frightened. She almost looked annoyed. Like she was tired of everything. She hadn't spoken at all. Wheatley had figured it was just the brain damage kicking in.

She went through the first few tests without a hitch and Wheatley could tell off the bat that she was going to be the one. Excitement bubbled inside the core for the first time in a long time and he almost felt proud of her. As time went on and they got closer to Her chamber, Wheatley could feel the fear tugging at him. GlaDOS was probably going to kill them.

They stopped in a small room before entering her chamber.

"Perhaps we don't have to do this, perhaps there's some other way-"

"We're going to get out of here even if it means going through her chamber." Chell said unexpectedly. Wheatley's blue optic zoomed up to meet Chell's own, blue eyes.

"You spoke." He hadn't realized how incredibly dim that made him sound when he said it.

"I don't see any reason not to if it just me and you." Her voice lilted and a smile spread across her face. Wheatley didn't recognize what he was feeling. It was a mixture between excitement and calm warmth. He liked it. Chell's smile was easy to look at. It was sort of like a candle and provided a warmth that Wheatley had never experienced before.

"Yes well..."

Chell had rested herself on one of the glass walls and began to sleep. Wheatley rolled his optic.

"You've been sleeping for almost thirty years and you're still tired?" His tone was sarcastic as he watched her stomach rthymically rise up and down.

"Hush." Chell through closed eyes and a small smile.

Wheatley remained silent for the rest of the night.

* * *

><p>Then it all happened so fast. They were escaping and then they were being lifted in the air and Chell was being choked by <em>Her <em>horrible grasp and then everything went black.

Something shocked Wheatley when he woke up. The first thing he thought of when he woke up wasn't himself. It was Chell. That had never happened before. Wheatley always put himself before others. It wasn't because he was selfish(he really wasn't, honest)but more because the look on her face as Wheatley was being strangled by Her claw was absolutely horrible and had ingrained itself into Wheatley's thoughts forever.

He had felt guilt this time.

Thankfully he had found Chell again and this time they were going to be ready for her. No turrets, no Neutrotoxin. Wheatley could feel that same excitement inside him that he had felt upon watching Chell test for the first time. They were standing in the room with all of the old 'Bring You Daughter To Work' projects were proudly displayed. Wheatley didn't quite understand why the employees did such a trivial thing as this and it made him twinge with sadness. Little girls who didn't deserve to be suffocated died by Neurotoxin. He was glad he didn't have to see that.

"Not all of the little girls died you know." Chell said quietly. This was one of those rare moments where Chell spoke. Wheatley was thankful for these moments. He loved her voice.

"How did you know that's what I was thinking?" Wheatley asked.

"Your eye. I mean you just looked upset, that's all." Chell said quietly as she studied the experiments. They were all very cute. She smiled.

"You could tell?" Wheatley asked, watching Chell's face with curiosity.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're very expressive for a core?" Chell asked with a chuckle. Wheatley smiled at her laugh. It was whimsical. He missed the feeling of whimsy.

"So what happened to them then?" Wheatley asked, getting back to the subject. Chell turned to face him for a second before walking over to the project with the massive potato plant growing out of it.

"By Chell." Chell's voice was barely above a whisper and sadness was clear in her gaze. Wheatley didn't like it.

"You were one of them?" He asked lowering his voice. Chell nodded.

"My parents were high-ups here. Everytime I think I get closer to remembering who they were it slips away from me..." Chell trailed off and placed her hand on her hip. She turned around to face him. "It's no big deal anyway. Let's get moving." Chell flashed him a false smile and they continued on.

* * *

><p>Wheatley can remember what it felt like when he had first been transferred into GlaDOS's body. It was amazing. He could control the whole facility. Him and Chell could leave and be happy but he was <em>so strong. <em>He could do anything.

Chell happily waited for him in the elevator. Wheatley looked over at her and thought about it. What had she really done for him? She had gotten him here sure, but it was really all for her own benefit. He began to lower the elevator and watched as Chell's expression went from elated to confused.

She was helping you leave though.

_Hush Wheatley. You have control of the whole facility. Chell is of no importance. She can test for you. Testing feels good Wheatley. You think you liked watching it as a core? Just imagine how it must feel for a mainframe. _

But I want to help Chel-

_No. _

Everything after that was pretty much a blur. He remembered feeling really, _really _good. He remembered watching long-fall boots, soaring, cubes, turrets, gels, orange jumpsuits, light bridges, and Chell's face. Chell's face as she tested was amazing. That put him over the edge into pure bliss. That determined glare. The way she just barely stuck her tongue out when she was trying to figure something out. Her blue eyes squiting and that smirk that she put on when she figured something out. That smirk was heavenly. Wheatley remembered just basking in it all. Then for some reason the abrupt joy stopped and it just didn't feel the same. Chell's face was the same. Everything was the same. He realized that it wasn't the testing that made him feel so good. It was Chell. Chell made him feel like he wasn't just a core. That frightened him. He blamed it on the testing.

Then he tried to kill her. Looking back on it, he was so glad that she defeated him because if she hadn't there would be no more Chell and in Wheatley's eyes a world without Chell was a world without living. He could never go back to his life before Chell. Never. He hadn't realized how attached he had gotten to her until that moment when he came back to his old self. Her hands were so shaky as she clutched him and prevented him from floating into the dark abyss of space. Then _She _grabbed Chell away and Wheatley was forever to wander in space while his only companion was the Space Core.

Now here he was. Sitting in space with the Space Core who was still in hysterics about being in space. Wheatley spent most of his time talking to either himself or the Space Core(who would only really respond in "SPAAACE!")

"I miss her voice." Wheatley's optic flew down to the earth where he knew Chell was. She was probably meeting some new people. She was probably meeting a new companion. He was probably much smarter than Wheatley. He was probably a human too. He could stroke Chell's cheek and he could hug Chell. He could play with strands of Chell's hair in his hands and she would laugh that innocent, little laugh.

"Space-lady never talked Wheatie." Space Core said frantically as he passed by.

"She did to me." Wheatley said wistfully.

"She must have liked you Wheatie. I think she liked space too. I like her Wheatie. She took me to space. She was so spacey Wheatie. Wheatie. Wheatie we're in space. We're in space." Space Core went back into one of his fits.

"I know Space. She was quite the tester." Wheatley spoke softly.

"No Wheatie. She was a space-lady too. She was spacey Wheatie. Not just a tester Wheatie. Space." Sometimes it was hard to decipher what Space Core was trying to say when everything was littered with space. Wheatley had been with him for quite some time and had just only picked up on it recently.

"I know Space."

* * *

><p>-Back on Earth.<p>

"Miss?" Chell was interupted from her slumber by a man's voice. It had a heavy, Australian accent. Her eyes snapped open and she was looking up at a man around her age with shaggy black hair and bright, brown eyes. She remained silent.

"Are you alright?" He asked waving a hand in front of her face. She stared at him through heavy-lidded eyes and nodded. "Oh good," Relief spread over his face. "C'mon we have to get you to the shelter."

He helped Chell off the ground and she realized that she was too weak to even lift herself up. Was she really that tired?

"Do you want me to carry you to the shelter?" The man asked. Chell could tell his intentions were well but she declined. She could do this on her own. So they headed towards the woods.

The pair walked for a couple of minutes before happening upon a small, wooden cabin. Dishes and sattelites were on the roof. The man gave Chell a smile.

"Welcome to Aperture Test Subject Refugee Center."


	2. Chapter 2

Chell remained silent. Big surprise there. Her eyes widened as she surveyed the large, log cabin. The windows were all shuttered so she couldn't see inside but she had a feeling that whatever was going on in there wasn't normal. The man next to her gauged her face for a reaction.

"You're from Aperture right?" Chell nodded though her eyes remained on the cabin. "I could tell by you're jumpsuit. I think you're wearing it wrong though." The man cocked and eyebrow and chuckled. Chell didn't find it so funny. She glanced at him sideways and frowned.

"Well," He cleared his throat. "Follow me then." The man awakwardly shuffled in front of Chell, just barely obscuring her view, and continued forward. He led her to the front porch and stopped in front of the door. It smelled of cooking. Cooking and burning wood.

"It's Logan. I've got a new refugee with me." It looked as though Logan was speaking to the door. Upon closer inspection, Chell realized he was talking to a small speaker in the door-knocker. She smirked. How inventive.

"You've got a what?" A female's voice could be heard on the other end.

"You heard me nitwit. A test subject." There seemed to be a sarcastic tone in his voice. Chell recognized it well. Chell was used to sarcasm by now, it was near-constant with GlaDOS. Logan chuckled as the door swung open.

The inside looked different from what Chell had expected. She expected a crackling fire, warm, soft chairs that made your bottom sink when you sat in them, and old moose paintings on the walls. Instead, Chell saw wires and machines spread all across the walls. Men and women in orange jumpsuits all scurried about, each checking their own different monitors. Logan smirked at Chell's open-mouthed stare.

"Impressive, ain't it?" He snickered and nudged her with his elbow. Chell flinched away. She wasn't used to the human touch. She hadn't felt it in a long time.

"She looks more confused than anything, Logan," A woman with long, blonde hair walked over towards them with a frown on her face. She was very pretty. "Perhaps you should explain this all to her." The woman added with a cough.

"Don't tell me what to do, nitwit." Logan snapped back with a triumphant smirk. The woman cocked and eyebrow. She rolled her blue eyes and smiled at Chell. It was a warm, friendly smile, something that Chell had not seen in a long time. To be completely honest, Chell hadn't seen or done a lot of things in a long time.

"I'm Morgan Feint and this here is my brother Logan. He's quite an idiot." Morgan explained. Chell's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. They didn't look like siblings. Not at all. Perhaps that was a new thing, Siblings not looking like each other.

"Shut up." Logan mumbled as he crossed his arms. Chell felt envious. The thought of having a sibling had always been incredibly appealing to her. But she couldn't even remember her parents. There was no point in trying to remember a brother or sister.

"Anyway," Logan said. "I figured that since you're new, you should meet our leader." He nodded over towards a long hallway. "I'll take you to him." Chell cocked an eyebrow. She didn't really trust him. Chell found it hard to trust anything these days.

* * *

><p>"Wheatie Wheatie Wheatie, guess what..." Space Core had begun twitching quite loudly in circles around Wheatley. He figured he should be concerned but he really wasn't.<p>

"Yes Space?" Wheatley's voice came across as strained and tired. They had said Cores couldn't get tired but Wheatley begged to differ. Wholeheartedly.

"I wanna go back home Wheatie. I wanna go home. Home Wheatie. Space is lonely." Space Core's voice was still frantic and hurried, but there was a certain sadness to it. Wheatley felt a pang of remorse for the little sphere.

"At least we have each other, Space." Wheatley said quietly. His voice held an echo in the large, dark void that was space. Space Core stopped moving and sat still in front of Wheatley.

"Wheatie, I want to go home." Each word was pronounced with a certain finality that stood out quite well. Wheatley gave a sympathetic gaze to the little core. There wasn't anything they could do about it.

"Wheatie." Space Core's voice was beginning to sound hoarse. Well, as hoarse as a Core's voice _could _sound. Wheatley furrowed his eye. "Wheattt-" Space Core's voice cut out and his optic stuttered to a sudden, eerie darkness.

"Space?" Wheatley asked him nervously. Wheatley couldn't be alone. He couldn't. Surely he would succumb to madness. The blank core did nothing in response. Wheatley could feel a quiet pain in the back of his mind. It was slow at first, just a prodding, dull pain before growing into a nagging, biting pain in the back of his mind.

It didn't take long for the pain to become excrutiating and Wheatley's vision to begin blurring. He stared blankly at the dead core in front of him and wished that the pain would be over. He wished for so many things. He wished for Chell, home, tenderness, laughing, joy, anything to take this pain anyway.

And suddenly it all went dark.

"Wake up you little numb-skull." Wheatley recognized that voice. That eerily familiar voice that had haunted his little, AI nightmares for as long as he could remember. Wheatley was _extremely _hesitant to open his eye.

But he did and was faced with that same frightening gaze from that bright, orange optic.

"AHH!" Wheatley knew that it would be her but he felt the need to scream anyway.

"Wow, that was dramatic." GlaDOS snarked.

"I-what's going on?" Wheatley's bright blue eye flickered around the room nervously. It was a plain white room with white walls, white floors, and no windows. His sphere sat on a white table and a smaller, more frantic sphere was being held down next to him.

"Don't get fidgety or we'll restrain you like your little astronaut friend over there." GlaDOS nodded over to the Space Core before returning to glare at Wheatley. For being just a light, GlaDOS's eye could be mighty scary.

Wheatley felt a temporary rush of relief. Space was okay. That was good enough for him.

"I see you've become quite selfless, how...admirable." The false kindness in GlaDOs's voice was all too easy to recognize.

"Uh, well..." Wheatley didn't want to say anything that might get him in deep crap. He refrained from sticking his preverbial foot in his mouth.

"That's not relevant though. There's a reason I've brought you back here." GlaDOs said. Upon closer inspection, Wheatley noticed that GlaDOs was coming out of the wall and that there seemed to be some sort of section cut out for her. He wondered if she had done that.

"A reason?" Wheatley asked, his eye flickering back to her.

"I'm putting you back into your human form."

"Wait, what am I in now?" Wheatley asked.

"Is that really the question you want to be asking?" GlaDOs asked sarcastically. She narrowed her eye at him.

"...yes?" Wheatley wasn't sure if this was a trick or not. He had to be super careful whenever GlaDOs said something. Anything could be a trick.

"If you really need to know, you're in an empty core. It's just a temporary. You should be thankful too. It took quite a lot of my effort and time to transfer your AI into these cheap things. I imagine it will be even worse to put you back in your human body. So...be thankful for that too. I'm pratically your savior." GlaDOs said nonchalantly. Something dawned on Wheatley in that second and his eye widened.

"Wait, you wanna turn me into a human? A fleshy veggie?" Wheatley couldn't be turned into a human. Unless GlaDOs intended to release him in the wild to find Chell, then he would just be a vegetable for no reason. That was the only real reason he would want to be a human. Chell.

"Goodness, you have no reason to complain. It's not like you weren't human before." Once again her voice was apathetic. Wheatley's hatred for her grew tenfold. As did his curiosity.

"Wait, what?" He asked.

"That's turning into your catchphrase isn't it, you idiot?"

"Just tell me!" Wheatley shouted quickly.

"You were a human once I guess. I mean, nobody cared enough even to put your last name. But I digress. They sent you here a while ago. You were quite well off, handsome, and the apple of everyone's eye. Everyone wanted to get their hands on you. Whether it be for testing or some other outlandish, inane reason. But you were very dim. A typical playboy. And since you're too dumb to be testing, I'm sending you out into the wilds. I've heard and seen rumors of a group of idiots trying to take down my testing. I can't have that. Find them and take them down." There was an almost hypnotic tone in GlaDOs's voice.

"But I-"

"And don't think about going against me. I'll have it programmed into your human self to automatically obey me." The table began to move.

"Goodbye, Core Wheatley." And everything was black.


	3. Chapter 3

**Inspiration for my human!Wheatley goes to partly to Dani on tumblr. I liked her's in particular because it wasn't a nerd who wore glasses like everyone else's. If you ever see Dani be sure to tell her that I think her design is wonderful. :)**

The pain was tolerable at first. Almost like being pricked by a needle constantly on your finger. It wasn't too much, but it was enough to annoy you. Wheatley knew this sensation though. It would be quietly painful before it became horrible and mind-numbing. He dreaded this transition. Pain was common for him.

The absolutely klutziness of being a core that's just one size too big _hadn't _grown on him. He constantly tripped up on the management rail and when he wasn't on that he was either being clunked around by a tractor beam or falling. There was a lot of falling.

If he could sigh, he would. The fact that he couldn't even open his eyes was annoying, but the fact that it seemed as if he had absolutely no senses whatsoever was even worse. At least as a core he could feel things. Maybe humans didn't have senses. But then how did Chell-

Wheatley's thoughts were cut off by a strong wave of pain washing over him. It wasn't horrible but it was enough to make him want to scream. Scream when he couldn't. Wheatley realized he would never take advantage of senses ever again.

Then it was all black.

Wheatley should have been used to these unexpected flashes of darkness happening all the time. In fact, he was beginning to think he _was _getting used to them.

"I guess I can't call you a dumb little ball anymore. How unfortunate. Now you're just a dumb vegetable." GlaDOs's voice was clear in the darkness and Wheatley opened his _eyes. _Boy, it would take a while to get used to two of them.

He was in a white room again. It was identical to the room he was in before she transferred him. He looked down at the body he now occupied. It was average with a normal build and a normal weight.

"You couldn't make me buff?" Wheatley tried out his new mouth. It was weird having to actually open his mouth to talk. That would take some getting used to. He still had his same voice though. Wheatley found that a bit odd.

"You should be thankful I at least put you in some clothes before you came to. Ugh, you can't imagine how upsetting that was. I'm just glad _I _didn't have to do it." GlaDOs rolled her eye at Wheatley and he quirked an eyebrow. The sensation of quirking his eyebrow was almost exactly the same as when he was a Core. He liked the feeling.

"What kind of uniform is this?" Wheatley asked as he surveyed his clothing. It was a white jumpsuit with various grey lines spread across it. It was completed with black gloves and black boots.

"It's what you were wearing before. I know, I wouldn't have picked out such an outfit either. You have horrible taste in fashion." Glados glared at Wheatley's chest in disdain.

"Oh that's right, I was a human before." Wheatley said as he raised his right hand and stared at it. It was pale and milky. He rubbed it with his other hand.

"Yes and are any of your dull, human memories coming back to you?" Glados asked. She feigned boredom well but Wheatley could sense the obvious interest in her eye. He thought about it for a moment. Nope. Nothing.

"Nope. Nothing." Wheatley flashed a smile(which was an odd feeling) and went back to rubbing his hands together.

"Idiot." Glados narrowed her eye at him.

"I-uh, can I see what my face looks like?" Wheatley asked quietly. He couldn't handle that narrowed eye she was giving him. Not many could. Chell was one of them.

"Yes. And a quick warning, I can see all your thoughts right now so don't think anything stupid that you know I won't want to see," Glados rolled her eye and brought out a mirror with one of her weird, robotic arms. "You think about Chell too much."

Wheatley looked at himself in the mirror. He met a young, tired face with silver-y, short hair. His eyes were a bright blue and they blinked when he blinked. It was weird to look at. To be quite honest, he thought he was quite handsome. Tired, but handsome.

"Yes your fantastic. Can we move on?" Glados asked sarcastically. The hostility was dripping in her voice. Wheatley nodded.

"Remember what I told you about taking down that group of refugees?" She asked.

"Uh...no." Wheatley said quietly. He felt as though he should but he just couldn't scrounge it out of his memories. That was something to get used to. Not having a memory bank which meant that he had to remember everything himself. Manually.

"I didn't expect as much." Glados shook her head as she said this. "Well, when you get up there I'm sure it'll come back into play."

"Up there?" Wheatley questioned. He sat up quickly and immediatley regretted it. A shooting pain climbed up his backbone and made him arch over. Then his stomach began to make this weird noise as it sent a sore pain throughout Wheatley. Was this really what it was like to be a human? How horrible? His vision got starry and he felt his head begin to rush.

"Watch yourself. You've been in stasis for a _very _long time. You're probably in no fit state to do anything at the moment. But personally I don't really care. So get up." Glados pratically growled at him. Wheatley shook his head, attempting to get the stars out of his vision. How could she be so cruel? Did all humans go through this when they woke up from stasis? Wheatley found his knuckles turning white from clutching the sides of the table. He swung his legs over the side. It was so _heavy. _She expected him to lumber around in this?

"This hurts you know." Wheatley grumbled as he attempted to land on the ground. His legs were weak and wobbly and he had to steady himself with the table. Glados rolled her eye again.

"Insightful." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. Wheatley rolled his eyes. It felt weird with two of them. It felt like he could see much more than before. He didn't quite like it. "Now that you're done being a total moron, I'd like you to step into this elevator." An elevator appeared in the wall where Glados was once hanging. She had disappeared and yet her voice still seemed to resonate in Wheatley's head. He hoped that she couldn't do that when he was above ground.

Wheatley nervously stumbled over to the elevator and stepped inside.

"What am I supposed to do when I get up there?" Wheatley asked nothing in particular. He knew Glados would answer. It still felt weird talking to nothing. He supposed he should be used to talking to nothing. Chell was mostly nonresponsive when they had first met. To be honest, he was quite glad she grew out of that.

"I don't know." Glados said as if were obvious. Wheatley shook his head and clutched the side of the elevator.

"What should I be looking for?" He asked angrily. Something about Glados was making him really, _really _angry. Turning him into a human only made him feel more powerful. There was something about being the only human among a bunch of robots that made you feel like you were all-powerful. Wheatley wondered if Chell ever felt like this.

"A bunch of fat, flesh lumps in orange jumpsuits. They shouldn't be hard to find. Now go." The elevator shot up at lightning speed. It flashed by tons of floors and Wheatley could see as they got more and more run-down as it got closer to the surface. It seemed like a century until he got to the top but when he did, he immediately knew. The elevator stopped abuptly and he was in a small, dark room. A door opened and he was met with a small slit of barren land followed by miles and miles of wheat. So this was what they were working so hard to get to? Wheatley felt disappointment rush through him.

"This is really what we were so excited to find?" He asked as he crossed his arms. Arms. They felt weird. Like two useless noodles hanging on his shoulders. It was weird when he used them.

"Dull, isn't it?" There was Glados's voice again in Wheatley's head. It bothered him that she had a total free-ticket to all of his thoughts.

"You're going to be with me the whole time then?" He asked. To any normal person, it would have looked like Wheatley had schizophrenia. Perhaps he did. Who was he to tell? Maybe it was all his imagination that Glados was talking to him through his head. That thought scared him more than the actual truth.

"As you probably already know, I have much better and more entertaining things to do to monitor you all the time. But I will pop in occasionally to make sure you're not being a total idiot. I have it programmed in your head that you don't royally screw up everything. You'll probably find a way past that you know, being extremely dumb though." Glados explained casually. Wheatley furrowed his eyebrows. Bitch.

"I heard that." She spat. Wheatley let out an angry growl before beginning his search for the humans.

* * *

><p>"Now, he's very old so you should know that his hearing isn't too well." Logan's eyes flashed with anxiety before they returned to their calm brown hues. Chell nodded to show that she was listening. She wondered if they were curious about her mute tendencies. If she were them, she would be curious. But it was hard for her to trust them this quickly. Once she trusted them, she was sure that she would begin to talk. But for now she took a vow of silence.<p>

Logan opened the door and walked in first.

"Mr. Grooms. We have a new refugee. She just arrived today." Logan's voice cracked and Chell had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from letting out a chuckle. It was just funny to hear a voice as deep as Logan's crack.

"You find her in the fields?" His voice was gravelly and rough. Logan nodded. Chell couldn't see him. "What's her name?" Mr. Grooms asked.

"Well she's not much of a talker and we haven't asked yet-"

"My name is Chell." Chell said quietly. That would be it. She put a limit. If someone asked her name, she would tell them. But other than that no talking.

"Chell?" There was wonder in the old man's voice. Logan shifted to the side to let Chell seem him. An old man with a well-trimmed white haircut and beard sat on a chair in front of a desk. He wore an orange jumpsuit much like everyone's elses, though it was a bit more worn-down. "My God, it's you..." He trailed off and stood up. Mr. Grooms ambled over to Chell and placed his hands on her shoulders. Chell really didn't know how to react.

"Chell. I'm your father."

**what a tweest!**

**By the way, I forgot to thank absolutely everyone for all of your wonderful reviews. You don't know how much they mean to me! They're my inspiration! **


	4. Chapter 4

**I should warn you that this chapter has quite a few chapter-breaks in it. Wheatley and Chell are getting closer and closer to seeing each other, hence the breaks. **

It was one of those classic movie-moments where everything was silent and people's breaths hitched in their throats. Surprise and shock were primary emotions followed by some thought of 'Hey yeah, I see how that happened now...' reactions. Chell wasn't huge for displaying emotions and she knew that. But shouldn't finding your long-lost father feel more...heartstring-pulling? She questioned why she felt so apathetic.

Chell's first instinct was to look for the resemblance between her and Mr. Grooms. His eyes wer brown, the opposite of Chell's. His skin was pale, the opposite of Chell's. Maybe she got all of her looks from her mom.

"Chell?" Mr. Grooms obviously saw the distraction on Chell's face so he gave her a little shake. She blinked and shook her head. Logan awkwardly stared between the two of them. Poor Logan. This had to be really awkward. Chell's sympathy for him grew.

"Sorry." Chell said quietly. It wasn't like she owed him an apology but she said it anyway. Chell didn't really know what else to say.

"You don't have to apologize dear." Mr. Grooms said. He flashed an old, wrinkly smile and Chell felt a pang of warmth. Maybe they were related. She smiled back.

"What?" Logan's voice broke the moment and Mr. Grooms looked over at him. He placed a hand on Logan's shoulder and smiled.

"Sorry young man. I see you're caught in quite an uncomfortable position here." Mr. Grooms apologized with a dip of his head and pat Logan's shoulder quickly before returning it to his side. Chell looked over at Logan who was awkwardly kicking the toe of his foot into the ground.

"No sir, I'm just asking how this is all possible." There was something in Logan's voice, something Chell recognized immediately. She'd been used to it between Glados and Wheatley. Jealousy. Was Logan jealous?

"I should explain this shouldn't I?" Mr. Grooms said as he rubbed his beard. He motioned for the two of them to sit down as he sat back down behind his desk. Chell hadn't remembered chairs being there. She brushed it off as poor attention.

"Alright," He began. "strap yourselves in for this one. It's gonna take a while."

* * *

><p>Wheatley felt like he been wandering for days. Perhaps he was. Perhaps night didn't pass up on the surface anymore. He shook his head at the thought. It was a silly thought really. But how was he to know what had changed up here?<p>

His stomach growled, shaking him out of his thoughts. Wheatley let out a sigh and rubbed it slowly.

"Why do humans have such a small theshold for _everything?_" He shouted angrily. He knew no one would hear him. Well, that wasn't totally true, he reminded himself bitterly.

"_You're an embarassment you know." _Glados's voice sounded ethereal and out-of-place in Wheatley's head. He rolled his eyes ( an action that was soon becoming common for him ) and took a deep breath.

"You try spending a long amount of time up here without any food and we'll see how much of an embarassment _you _are." Wheatley growled. That was one reason that being a human felt good to him. Perhaps the only reason. He felt empowered and smart. Something about being a part of the race that had created Glados made him feel superior to her. Perhaps he was.

"_You seem to be forgetting to remember that I killed every single one of those scientists who created me. You were there. I would expect you would remember." _Glados let out a bitter, manic laugh before clearing her throat. Wheatley tried to forget it.

"Yes. I remember. You don't have to remind me you know." Wheatley tried to shake the image out of his head. The poisonous gas. The pile of dead humans. It was all a little too much. He was just glad that he never had to see those little girls from Bring Your Daughter To Work Day. That would have pushed him over the edge.

"_I'm glad you remember." _Glados said. There was something lilting in her voice. Wheatley quickly wondered if it was regret. He hoped so. He hoped that monster felt bad for what she had done.

Glados remained silent after that.

* * *

><p>"I was a young scientist. Bright. I had a beautiful wife and a bright future ahead of me. Thinking back on it, I don't know why I chose to work at Aperture. They were all mad there. But I'm getting off topic here," Mr. Grooms explained as he stared quietly at his hands folded on his desks. "It was Bring-Your-Daughter-To-Work-Day and I knew that you would want to go. You were so smart. Me and your mother always used to joke that you're brain was working five times faster than it should have been."<p>

Chell smiled a bit. The thought of her mother and father gushing over how smart she was made her feel warm inside. A parent's praise was something that every child lived for. Or at least that's what Chell would have liked to live for had she been a little girl.

"You made this crazy potato experiment. Granted, all the little girls did, but your's was the best." Mr. Grooms smiled wistfully as he twiddled his thumbs. "So we took you and that's when _It _happened." His face contorted in a mixture between sadness and anger. It was almost as if Chell could feel what Mr. Grooms was feeling. Seeing what he saw. Chell glanced over at Logan to see that he felt the same.

"The neurotoxin flooded and I tried to find you and your mother. I couldn't and was flooded away with the rest of the escapees. I thought I had lost you-" Mr. Grooms cut off to rub his eyes. There wasn't relief in them though. He still looked...broken.

"Still though, some core found us. One of those weird, too-human personality cores. A couple of them were there in fact. They herded us into becoming test subjects. I found Logan and Morgan together and I escaped with them. That was a while ago. I hardly remember the details anymore." Mr. Grooms rubbed his eyes once more before putting on a smile. Chell glanced over at Logan again to read his face. There was nothing there though. His face was blank.

"Anyway, that's not important. What's important is that you're here now!" Mr. Grooms smiled and there was a small sadness in his smile. Chell could see it. For someone who hadn't interacted with humans in a long time, Chell was pretty damn good at reading faces. She mentally pat herself on the back for this.

Mr. Grooms swooped down and wrapped Chell in a hug. She wanted to flinch away, but knowing that he was her father she couldn't. She hugged him back tentatively. Logan smiled. It was short and a blink-and-you'll-miss-it type of smile but it was certainly sincere. Chell could tell that Logan held Mr. Grooms high in regard.

"Well, now that we're done with this..." Mr. Grooms backed up with that same, wrinkly smile he wore before. "Logan?"

"Yes sir?" Logan responded faster than a whip.

"Can you show Chell to her room?"

"Of course sir." Logan nodded and offered his arm. Chell reluctantly clutched the the crook of his elbow and he led her out of Mr. Grooms room. Once they were out of the room and the door was closed Logan looked down at Chell.

"Wow," He said quietly. "I can't believe that you're his daughter." Logan's voice was filled with disbelief and wonder. It was an odd combination.

"Me neither." Chell whispered.

* * *

><p>Now Wheatley was sure that he had been wandering for days. It was hard to breathe and his stomach was pratically collapsing in on its self. He stumbled onto his hands and knees and navigated through some wheat. He was sure that he was going to die here.<p>

It was ironic really. Wheatley was going to die in a field of wheat. He was sure that someone, somewhere was appreciating this irony. He was afraid. Terribly, horribly afraid. Where was Chell? Had she suffered the same fate? The picture of Chell laying peacefully in a field of wheat entered his mind and he felt a pinching in the back of his eyes and a cotton-y lump in his throat. Was this crying? Was he crying?

His vision began to blur and he felt his head begin to pound.

"_You will not. Die. Yet." _Glados's voice was forceful and almost possesive. Wheatley had never heard her like that before. He supposed he should feel fear. It was a threat, of that he was sure. But at the same time, he felt grateful for her concern. It wasn't real concern, but he wanted to be thankful for something.

That was enough to get his eyes to unblur and for him to call out. He screamed 'help', 'SOS', 'Save me' and ever other one in the book. He was on his last leg when he heard shuffling in the wheat.

"Hello?" It was a young, female's voice. Wheatley waved his arm in the air above the wheat with as much strength as he could muster. The footsteps became faster and a young woman with long, red hair kneeled down next to him.

"Are you a refugee?" She asked. Her bright, green eyes studied his face and his clothes. Wheatley wasn't sure whether to answer yes or no so he just nodded. Hopefully that was the right. The girl's face lit up with a smile.

"You must be tired. It's okay. You can fall back asleep. I'll make sure you wake up." She reassured him as she placed a hand on his chest. Wheatley nodded quietly and closed his eyes.

_Thank you Glados_, He thought to himself. His head was silent for a few moments before Glados finally spoke.

"_Shut up you little idiot." _

**D'aww, Wheatley and Glados are bonding. Ahem, anyway. This chapter was mainly to describe Mr. Grooms's past with Chell, but I had to add a little Wheatley in there because I love Wheatley too much and it's a problem really but whatever. Thanks again for the reviews! They help me to update faster! And I apologize if you feel Glados is becoming too sensitive. Trust me. She's not. ;)  
><strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**This one's pretty long but...**

Chell's room was ordinary. Ordinary in every way shape and form. It was nice...but it was terribly boring. It consisted of two beds, two little lamp-tables next to the beds, two lamps, and a rug between the two beds. She wondered who the other was for. Logan stood in the doorway as he gauged Chell's face for a reaction.

"Yeah, It's pretty boring." He said nodded mostly to himself. Chell turned around to face him. She wore a look of confusion on her face.

"Oh," Logan nodded. "You're wondering about both the beds." Logan continued on. "Well, usually when we get new refugees they room together. You might be lucky though and get this room to yourself. You were the first test subject we'd found in a long time." Logan sighed and rubbed his forehead. For being such a young man, Logan sure had the tendencies of an old man. Chell offered him a warm smile. Logan smiled back.

"You have a pretty smile. You should smile more often." He said quietly. Chell nodded in thanks. No one had ever called her smile pretty before. She appreciated it. Logan cleared his throat. "Anyway, I should get going. There are some patrols out there scouting for refugees. I might go an try to help 'em a bit. See you later Chell." Logan nodded and then he was off. Chell supposed she should be thankful. A room to herself, new acquaintances to meet, a father. But something was chaining her back from that happiness. Something significant. She just couldn't tell what.

The rest of the day went on without problems. She wandered around the large, log mansion, meeting new people and discovering new things. She learned that they didn't eat too much. Apparently being in stasis did things to your appetite. She had yet to notice this change in hunger patterns. In fact, she was quite hungry. How long had she been wandering in that field? How long since she had last eaten?

"You look like you could use some help." Morgan's voice shocked Chell out of her thoughts. She turned around to face the blonde who was carefully watching Chell.

"I'm just a little hungry, that's all."Chell's voice sounded so weak and insignificant against everyone's elses loud tones. She wondered why everyone spoke so loud. Was it also an effect of the stasis?

"Well, that's a first." Morgan clutched Chell's hand and led her down a long hallway much like the one leading to Mr. Grooms's room. "Usually when we got test subjects they'd all come back begging not to eat. Being in stasis really screws up your senses and things like that." Morgan casually explained with a shrug.

She led Chell silently to a large, silver kitchen. There were two other people there who quickly shuffled out upon the sight of Morgan. Chell began to notice that people gave Morgan odd looks and they tended to avoid her. Morgan moved over to the fridge and opened it up.

"Hmmm, let's see..." Morgan trailed off as she studied the contents in the fridge. There was food up to the ceilings of the large fridge. Chell swallowed back her hunger as she studied the colorful arrangement of delicacies. Her stomach grumbled and Morgan let out a chuckle.

"We have this leftover grilled chicked. I'll heat it up for you if you like." Morgan turned around and smiled as she held a container full of juicy chicken. Chell felt her mouth-watering at just the sight.

"I'll take that as a yes." Morgan chuckled again. It was such a happy, carefree chuckle. Chell wondered how someone could be that happy with their past being what it was. A young girl with red hair and green eyes stepped in the kitchen nonchalantly. She skidded to a stop and widened her eyes at the sight of Morgan. Morgan had her back turned to the microwave.

"Oh, I'm sorry Miss Morgan. I didn't mean to interupt you." Her hands were trembling. Chell wondered why. The young girl didn't seem to notice Chell. Morgan turned around with a bright smile.

"It's fine. Do you have something to tell me?" Morgan asked cheerfully. The young girl stared at Morgan's face for a few seconds before shaking her head and nodding.

"Uhm, yes. My sister's returned from her patrol. They've found someone." Morgan's eyebrows raised simultaneously and she took a few seconds to process the information before nodding.

"Thank you Alex." Morgan said. There was an uncomfortable silence in the room that was quickly interupted by the sound of the microwave buzzing. "You're dismissed." Morgan nodded and Alex skittered off.

"We should go check that out actually." Morgan ignored the microwave beeping as she grabbed Chell's wrist and dragged her back up the stairs and through the corridor.

Chell couldn't imagine who they had found. She wondered if the person had been testing the same time she had been. It was impossible. Unless Glados had found a way to monitor two at the same time. And there _had _been those strange drawings on the walls. Morgan led her to the front lobby with all the computers. There had been a large crowding, all focused on the front door.

"Excuse me!" Morgan shouted and everyone became silent. It was as if she had flicked a switch to silence them all. Chell stared at her with wide eyes. Morgan motioned for a few people to move and they made a thin path for Morgan and Chell. They tread through carefully.

Standing in front of them was Alex's sister and a young man with blonde hair. They were supporting an unconcious man with white-ish, silver hair and pale skin. Chell narrowed her eyes at the man. Something about him was suspiciously familiar. His clothes were different from that of a refugee. It was a fitted white suit with black elbow-length gloves and black boots. The suit was white, much like the man's hair, and had grey lines all over the place in some sort of intricate pattern. Morgan quirked an eyebrow at the man.

"Take him to the recovery room." Morgan cocked her head to the right and the two supporting the man nodded at the same time. Chell narrowed her eyes. There was just something about him...

"I'm sorry Chell. This is sort of sudden. I have to go. You should go eat though okay?" Morgan offered a nervous smile as she followed the small group. The hoarde began to dissipate and Chell found herself in the middle of the rush. People bumped and brushed by her quickly. She hated it. Chell turned around to go back to the kitchen only to be met by Alex. She stared at her with wide eyes.

"Can you follow me?" Alex asked nervously. Her eyes shifted side to side. That was the first warning sign. Chell took a deep breath and nodded. She could't totally trust anyone here. Well, she could probably trust Mr. Grooms and Logan. But not this girl. This girl who she hadn't even met.

Alex led her back down to the kitchen. It was empty and the chicken sat un-touched in the microwave. Chell stared at it hungrily.

"You can eat while I talk to you." Alex quickly opened the microwave and leaned against the counters. Chell happily grabbed the chicken. She reached for it with her hand when Alex shoved a fork into Chell's hand.

"Don't make a mess. I'll be the one cleaning it up." Alex rolled her eyes. Chell grabbed the fork and began to dig in. She eyed Alex carefully as she ate.

"Anyway, I brought you down here to warn you." Alex said quietly. Her voice was barely above a whisper. Her dark green eyes flickered around the room again before returning to Chell's own eyes. Chell furrowed her eyebrows. "Morgan is scary." Alex whispered this time. Chell put the chicken down for a second.

"You've noticed the looks people give her. That's 'cuz she's not a refugee. Her brother was but-" Alex took a deep breath and stepped closer to Chell. "Morgan was a scientist. She was there at the whole neurotoxin accident. She enrolled her brother to become a tester. He's forgiven her but..." Alex trailed off as someone walked in the kitchen. She raised her eyebrows for a moment before shaking her head and leaving. Chell grabbed her plate and placed it in the sink. Now she was curious.

Chell headed upstairs carefully. She had to look in conspicuous. People were going about their own business, carefully checking monitors, cleaning, daily things that you would do all the time. Chell tried to look like she belonged. She quietly stepped down a long corrider where they had dragged that man. She wondered what actually happened down here. There were doors everywhere. Each door had a little window on it. Chell peeked through each. All of them were empty. The last one on the left contained hurried voices though and that peaked her interest. Chell glanced inside the room to see Morgan hurriedly speaking to Alex's sister who was observing a monitor. The pulse on it was sporadic and quick. Chell looked down at the man on the table. His chest rose frantically up and down. The other man with blonde hair leaned against the wall, his eyes avoiding the situation.

Morgan shook her head and yelled something at Alex's sister. She flinched away and backed up against the wall. The man with blonde hair pushed off the wall and yelled at Morgan. Chell couldn't hear a thing. The room was totally soundproof. She sighed in frustration. The man motioned over towards Alex's sister then towards the man on the table whose breathing was getting no slower. Morgan angrily pounded her fist on the table. Alex's sister's eyes grew wide and pushed Morgan's hand off the table which shook a bit. The man began to breathe slower. His pulse slowed and each face in the room reflected back to relief.

"What're you doing?" Someone asked Chell and she could have sworn that she jumped at least two feet in the air. She looked over at Logan who had a cup of coffee and a quirked eyebrow. "Didn't mean to scare you but-"

Chell cut him off by shushing him. Logan furrowed his eyebrows and stood next to Chell, peeking in the room.

"Oh yeah, they just brought him in. Said they found him in a field calling out for help." Logan whispered. Chell narrowed her eyes. Morgan sighed and waved her hand. She began to head for the door. Both Logan and Chell flinched away from the door. It seemed to take an hour for the door to finally creak open.

"You can go see him if you'd like. I don't know why you'd want to but he's stable so-" Morgan cut off at the sight of Logan. "Is that my coffee?" Logan nodded and handed the steaming mug. She pat his head and continued on. Logan followed her loyally. Chell wondered why. Especially considering the circumstances. They seemed to have some sort of sibling rivalry. Not the type of relationship where one of them is being the other's servant. Chell shook the thought out of her head. She needed to focus on this person, whoever he was.

She stepped inside the room. It felt sterile. White walls, white floors. Chell hated rooms like this. They reminded her too much of hospitals and for some reason hospitals always bothered her. The two others who were in the room stared at her steadily. Alex's sister bowed her head and quickly shuffled out. The blonde man followed her. Everyone here seemed so skittish. The thought bothered Chell. Why? There had to be a reason. She pushed the thought out of her mind as she approached the man.

His face was tortured and sad when she looked down at it. Tired circles ran under his eyes and he had a couple of dirt smears on his face. Chell frowned and ripped a shread of cloth from her jumpsuit. She licked it before rubbing the smears off of his face. His nose twitched while she did this and Chell thought of a rabbit. The thought made her giggle.

* * *

><p>Wheatley knew that he was dreaming. It was a dark dream. A dream where nothing was there for him. It was total desperation. He clutched his arm. Knowing that he had an arm and that it was there simply scared him. He hadn't realized it earlier but being a human came with so many responsibilities. There was keeping healthy, being social, and so many other things to worry about. That worry clung to him like an insect.<p>

Then it was as if his worry was a rope and someone had just snipped it. Snipped it with a single giggle. He knew that giggle. It was unforgettable. He had to wake up. He had to wake up for that giggle. It took every force he could muster up to open his eyes, but when he did he was met with a sight that he could have sworn was a dream. A dream that he had dreamt for a while now.

Chell was smiling down at him, her mouth upturned in a giggle.

**I hope you liked this chapter. It took a while. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**I got a few questions about the whole time gap between the first portal and the second one. Also a few questions about Mr. Grooms. It will all be explained in due time. This chapter is short and sweet, as I wanted a whole chapter devoted to their reunion. Ahem...**

* * *

><p>Wheatley had absolutely no idea how to react to this. It wasn't a dream. He had just woken up from a dream so it had to be reality. Chell's face stared curiously down at him and he blinked twice. Chell lifted a hand and waved it carefully.<p>

It was silent for three minutes before Wheatley actually did anything.

"I'm so, so, so sorry, I feel like a monster, I was a monster..." Wheatley shot up from his position and began going on and on. His apologies were spitfire and it wasn't too soon before he started to wibble and sniffle. Chell hadn't totally registered what was going on.

"So so sorry-"

"Wheatley?" Chell cupped a hand over his mouth and questioned him. She had an eyebrow quirked and looked anything but happy. His bright, blue eyes were glued to her. Wheatley gave her a quick nod before moving her hand away and continued apologizing profusely. She furrowed her eyebrows.

_"Oho, she's _not _very happy with you." _Glados chuckled from inside Wheatley's head and he tried to shake her out. Now was not the time for her to be invading his thoughts.

"How on earth did you- I mean you're...What?" Chell was confused and she had every right to be. Wheatley almost felt like it was his fault. Well-It was, he supposed. But why did it always have to be his fault.

"Listen, I can't explain right now. But you should know that I never meant to do all of those things. I was an idiot and I shouldn't have done them and I'm sorry. Please, I really, _really _need you to forgive me." Wheatley's breathing was ragged and short and Chell could feel something in the back of her throat. It was a cotton-y lump that refused to be swallowed.

Her mind raced as fast her feet as she quickly retreated out of the room.

Maybe it was all just a bad dream.

**Told you it would be short. And I'm sorry it wasn't all cutesy. I wish it was too but personally I believe there would be some major confusion for both parties. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Please read and review. **


	7. Chapter 7

**It's been a long time, huh?**

_ "Human emotions work in a strange way don't they, Wheatley?" _Glados's voice was mocking in Wheatley's head as he watched Chell's retreating form. He growled at himself and slammed a fist onto the bed. The door swung ajar, almost as a cruel reminder to what was once there.

Chell ran. She really wasn't aware of where she was running or the faces passing by. She just ran as fast as her feet could carry her. Before she could realize what was going on she was at the door to Mr. Grooms's room. Surely she could confide in her own father about this. Couldn't she?

Once, twice, three times she rapped at his door before it opened. His face was dark and tired and Chell regretted disturbing him. What time was it again?

"Good morning Chell." Mr. Grooms's tone betrayed his face's expression. It was lofty and carefree. She put on a fake smile.

"Good morning Mr. Grooms." She hadn't meant to call him Mr. Grooms, in fact Dad would have been just fine, but the words were already out of her mouth before she could regret saying them.

"Ya don't have to call me Mr. Grooms, Chell," He chuckled and opened the door wider. "I _am _your father." Chell stared at him for a moment after he had said this. Yes. He was. Was he? How could she know for sure? All these thoughts mixed together and a headache began to form.

"I-there's a new refugee." Nothing was making sense. Wheatley was a human. How? The last time she had seen him, he had been floating out into space. How did he get back? How was he a human! Why was he so...what was happening. She felt dizzy and the room started spinning.

"I've only just heard about him." Mr. Grooms motioned his chin over to a corner of the room where Morgan was standing patiently, her eyes on Chell. The sight of Morgan's face did nothing to quell Chell's dizziness.

"He's in the process of healing right now," Morgan began, her tone complacant. "You were visiting him before, weren't you Chell?" The question was, for all intents and purposes, innocent, but the way Morgan had said it made it sound mocking and childish. As if she were speaking to an infant.

Chell could only manage a nod.

"You look pale," Mr. Grooms furrowed his eyebrows. "Morgan!" He shouted.

"Yes sir?"

"Take Chell back to her room." He offered a smile before Chell felt herself being supported by someone and led out of the room. Once they were out, it was a quick shot to Chell's new room.

"You should lay down and rest a bit." Morgan assured her. Chell studied Morgan's face for a moment. There was something sinster hidden in the depths of her laugh lines and the stress-furrow between her eyebrows.

"I want to see the new refugee." Chell narrowed her eyes at Morgan and Morgan could only stare blankly back.

"He's unstable right now, so..." Morgan trailed off.

"No he's not, I was just speaking to him." Chell said hastily. Chell's throat hurt from all this talking. She hadn't talked this much in a _very _long time. Morgan smiled at Chell and shivers shot up her spine.

"Well he doesn't really want to speak to anyone right now, so you should probably just leave him alone."

_"You're an idiot." _Glados drawled on in Wheatley's head. He sat up on this table/bed contraption and frowned. He should have pretended to be someone else. He could have put on a fake accent.

_"You remember the last time you tried to fool someone with a false accent..." _Glados said and Wheatley could have sworn that she was holding back a laugh.

"You know," Wheatley began. "You could be more supportive of me."

_"For me to be supportive of you would entail me liking you in the first place," _Glados explained. _"And I don't like you. I hate you." _

"Do you think-"

Wheatley was cut off by the sound of the door opening. The man with the blonde hair-or Micah, as Wheatley had found out-stepped in. His eyes were on Wheatley's face, a look of confusion gracing his features.

"Were you talking to yourself?" He asked.

"Well-"

"I don't wanna know." Micah sighed and stepped over towards Wheatley's bedside. He checked his vitals and made sure that everything was back to normal.

"There's a girl here-"

"There's lots of girls here, man." Micah rolled his eyes. "You gotta be more specific."

"Well I was getting there before you interupted me so-"

"Sorry, I'm a little impatient.

_"I hate him." _Glados chimed in Wheatley's mind.

"How would you feel if someone interupted you at every possible opportunity?" Wheatley asked. He really hated humans and all of their weird, rude habits and how they never let you get a word in edgewise.

Micah stared at him for a few moments.

"Who's the girl?" He asked.

"She's tan, she has black hair in a ponytail, she wears her jumpsuit tied at the hip and she wears a white tank-"

"Chell." Micah nodded.

"Yes!"

"Yeah, you and her have been the hot gossip around here," Micah checked his watch and continued on. "Two survivors found so close to one another timewise...It's pretty much unheard of."

_"There's something wrong with him," _Glados said quietly. Wheatley studied him. Micah seemed perfectly fine to him. He wasn't outwardly sick, nor sickly-looking. In fact he looked quite healthy, with large arms and a flushed face.

_"Emotionally." _Glados added.

"Ah." Wheatley responded to both of them. He was no good at studying humans, he supposed. But how did she know that something was wrong with this Micah fellow?

"She's probably talking to Morgan-" Micah began before being interupted by the door opening once more. Both men looked towards the doorway.

Chell stood with her hands at her sides, eyes wide. They were primarily focused on Wheatley, but they quickly flickered to Micah before returning to Wheatley.

_"Convenient." _

"I need to speak with him." Chell looked flustered, her hair sticking out all of the place. Her chest heaved up and down as if she was out of breath. Micah studied her for a moment before sighing and shaking his head.

"I'll leave you then."

And then there were two.

"_We _need to talk." Chell growled angrily as she hastily stepped towards Wheatley. He felt a fear that he had never felt before.

_"This should be...interesting." _

**Ok, so I owe an explanation, of that I'm sure. I'm really, really sorry about putting this story on a seemingly permanent hiatus. Lots of personal issues got in the way and I feel really bad about not being able to put chapters out. But they should be coming out a lot faster now! Anyway, please enjoy and hopefully review it up! They keep me motivated. Also, this chapter was a huge dialogue chapter as the next will probably be as well. After that though, expect some action! Thanks again! **


	8. Chapter 8

**This chapter was fun to write.**

"Listen I just want to tell you that I'm really sorry-" Wheatley began. A slender finger pushed against his lips and he was silent. Chell stared at him through narrowed, gray eyes. For some reason, Wheatley was thinking about how he would rather be here-in this frightening, unknown body-with Chell, rather than anywhere else.

"I want an explanation for why you did what you did." Chell stated. She loomed over him like a beautiful, terrifying tree. Her arms the branches. Her eyes the bright, beautiful birds that dotted the skies.

_"Ugh, please stop." _Glados growled in his head. He could practically hear the eye-roll in her voice.

Well what was he supposed to do? He didn't really know what else to compare her to.

"I was...I was corrupted." Wheatley sat up even straighter. He really just wanted to hug her or whatever it was that humans did when they were sorry. "I couldn't handle the power, I was too weak."

"So you don't remember what you did?" Chell asked, remembering the sick tones he used ordering her around and making her press buttons and fly through portals and god she could go on forever about it.

"I remember feeling good," Wheatley held out his palms. "That's all!" He explained. And it wasn't a total lie. He remembered flashes of her and her flying through portals and her determined smirk and he remembered that he felt strange and good. But he would omit that part of course.

Chell remembered too. She remembered his satisfaction. She remembered feeling like ripping that little eyeball out of its socket then throwing it somewhere. She would think of how strange it felt to hate something so much and not feel any remorse. But then suddenly, sadness would hit her like a truck and she would be reminded of the companionship that Wheatley had brought her.

"I'm sorry I couldn't catch you." Chell apologized after a few silent moments of reflection.

"I'm sorry I went crazy." Wheatley's frown grew deeper.

_"And I'm sorry that I have to sit through this." _Glados piped up.

They were both silent for a few minutes, an awkward silence that you could pratically taste in the air. Wheatley surveyed his hands, wondering if he should touch her, help her. Some sort of strange, human instinct in him told him he should. But then, of course, the robotic part in him held him back, restrained him.

"So where do we go from here?" Chell asked. Her throat hurt as she wasn't used to all this talking. Wheatley's big, blue eyes stared at her curiously. There was something very infant, very young about Wheatley's eyes and human-self that unsettled Chell.

"We don't stay here?" Wheatley's eyes remained steady on Chell. He didn't even blink.

"No."

_"No."_ Chell and Glados had spoken at the same time, which made Wheatley a little dizzy. This time, he blinked quite furiously, and looked up at the ceiling. It was blank...white. White? His head hurt.

"Are you alright, Wheatley?" Chell placed a hand on his forehead. Between hearing his name in her voice and her hand on his forehead, Wheatley's wooziness only multiplied. He felt something in his stomach.

_"I'm going to vomit." _

"Me too." Wheatley said quietly as he placed a hand on his stomach.

"What?" Chell questioned, removing her hand.

"No! I wasn't talking to you-" Wheatley fumbled. "I was talking to...-"

_"Just stop while you're ahead." _Glados chimed in.

"I'm sorry," Wheatley explained, his voice breaking a bit. Chell had to restrain a giggle. "It's just that...I get around you and I'm really nervous and I don't really know why-it must be a human thing, I suppose-and I still feel really bad about...you know and I just really don't know what to say around you anymore and-"

"Shut up Wheatley."

_"Please." _

Wheatley shut up.

"I don't want you to be nervous around me. Do you remember the way we were?" Chell asked, desperation creeping in her voice. Wheatley studied her face. It was tired, and the bags under her eyes were too noticeable to be normal.

He nodded.

"I want to go back to that," Chell cocked her head to the side as she said this. "I want us to be friends again."

There was some level of restraint in her voice. Sure, she was still angry at him, but understanding that it wasn't _all _his fault was a little bit better. She chose not to dwell on whether he really _was _in control of himself that whole time, or if it was the mainframe.

"I can do that." Wheatley nodded.

"Good."

As if a great weight had been lifted off the both of them, they both sighed simultaneously. Chell laughed and Wheatley followed along. His laugh was so human, so natural-looking, that Chell had to do a double-take. It was so odd hearing his voice come from an actual human-body rather than a little sphere with one, glowing eye.

"So you said we weren't going to stay here?" Wheatley interrupted the silence.

"No," Chell's tone turned serious. "We can't."

"And that's because...?"

"There's a man here," Chell began. Her eyes were on the door, suspicious and quick. Wheatley watched as her body tensed up. He watched her fists clench. "He says he's my father."

Wheatley was quiet.

"He's not?"

"I'm not sure."

_"He's not." _

Wheatley looked at Chell. This might be a bad time to mention that Glados was constantly in his head. He sighed. He didn't want to lie to her anymore, but wouldn't telling her about Glados betray any trust that they managed to salvage in this short conversation? He chose to tell her later.

"I don't really know what to think anymore." Chell sighed, placing her hand on the bed next to Wheatley. He watched it. Her hands were so tiny compared to his. Her fingernails were surprisingly clean and, overall, her hands looked very young.

He placed a hand on her's.

Chell looked up at his face. She wondered how human Wheatley had become. She wasn't going to ask. Of course, she would be lying if she said she didn't want to know how he become a human, but she wasn't going to ask. Inwardly, she laughed. She never imagined that Wheatley would look like this. Maybe a scrawny guy with glasses, but not like this. Not big and white-haired. He looked like someone out of one of those sci-fi movies that they used to watch at school.

Someone knocked on the door.

Wheatley's hand automatically retracted and went back to his stomach, which was mysteriously fluttering again. Chell leaned back in her seat, away from Wheatley. She had a feeling that whoever knocked knew that she was in here, and knew that Wheatley was awake. No one would be dumb enough to knock on the door of an unconcious man.

Morgan stepped in as the door slid open.

"You're awake." Her voice was cold, detached. Wheatley watched her carefully, his eyes on her face. Chell stood up.

"Do you know our newest occupant, Chell?" Morgan asked. Chell mentally shuddered at the word occupant, as if this were a hospital. At least she didn't say patient. Chell thought about a moment.

"He tested with me." It was only partially true of course. He was the reason that Chell had been testing unnaturally long, but that didn't matter now. The only thing that mattered was outmanuvering Morgan at this game of verbal dosey-do.

"That's interesting." Morgan said with a falsed sincerity. "You're stable too?" Morgan looked over at Wheatley, ignoring Chell's harsh gaze.

"I am." Wheatley said quietly as his eyes flickered over to Chell.

"We'll have to run some numbers. You might need to leave, Chell." Morgan looked over at Chell. By 'might', Chell knew that Morgan mean 'will'. She gave one, last lingering look at Wheatley, before exiting the room and heading towards her own.

Damned if she was going to give up this easily.

**Hello everyone! I apologize that this chapter took so long. The next few should be a little faster at least. I appreciate all the readers and reviewers that have stayed with me this long. You guys don't know how much I really love you guys. I'm really, really sorry for being away this long and I really hope you guys can forgive me! Anyways, reviews are appreciated greatly, but no pressure. Also, this chapter didn't have as much Glados as I wanted it to have, but the next should, so stay tuned! :)**


End file.
